Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence carries significant potential for official statistics. This frontier technology can perform a variety of tasks across the entire statistical chain, ranging from collection to processing, analysis, dissemination and communication. In practice, the race to use generative AI by official statisticians has already started, with a multitude of use cases including statbots, coding assistants, metadata editors, report generation, and searches based on natural language. The presentation sheds light on the large palette of possible applications in official statistics, their limitations, challenges, and risks. Finally, it attempts to outline potential future scenarios, focusing on the role that official statisticians could play in the new era of AI to fully harness this new technology, maximize data use, minimize data misuse, and, more importantly, secure trust in official statistics.